Bruised, But Not Broken
by Kendra Luehr
Summary: When Will awakens from his coma, he finds a surprise visitor at his side. Will x Abigail


**A/N**: This is super fluffy, and I can't even say I'm sorry... After the horrors of that finale, I saw my chances of seeing the Will/Abigail hospital scene from _Red Dragon_ slipping, so I decided to write it myself. I'm sure there are a million other scenarios like this, but I couldn't help but share my own version. In _Red Dragon,_ it mentions how Will and Abigail visit each other and stay in touch, so I tried to allude to that in here as well. I hope you enjoyed regardless of the burning fluff!

"Bruised, But Not Broken"

When the fog cleared from Will Graham's mind, he felt adrift…_weightless._ In the back of his subconscious, he could still feel the pressure on his abdomen, could hear the muffled screams – could _feel_ the raw blood spilling around him in a glistening halo.

Turning his head, Will became blinded by a pot of too-yellow flowers. They made his eyes hurt with their brightness. "Abigail," he croaked, closing his eyes yet again.

He didn't know why he'd said it… Abigail was gone.

Quivering, Will curled his hands and tried to ignore the pain in his heart, knowing that it far outweighed the physical. How could he have been so careless? Perhaps if he'd taken everything into account, he wouldn't have done anything at all. Jack and Alana's lives were still up in the air – he had no idea if they'd survived – but he felt uncomfortably confident about Abigail's fate. She'd only survived her first attack because of Hannibal's quick thinking, and without him being on their side this time around, she couldn't have… Will squeezed his eyes shut, weakly punching his thigh as a hot, salty tear made its way down to his lips. The taste of his pain made him nauseous.

Beginning to shake, Will's vision clouded as more tears burned him. What he wouldn't give to trade places… Abigail had been young with so much to offer. When he'd been prepping for battle, he'd had no idea whose life he was truly endangering. Hannibal knew he'd cared for her, and that was why she was dead…because of him. Will had seen the smugness in his eyes – could sense the doctor's pleasure in taking away his one ray of hope. Forgiveness was no longer an option. Not with Abigail gone.

"Will?"

He froze, still gazing up at the popcorn ceiling. Face screwing into a look of agony, he drew his hands over his eyes and shuddered. He couldn't believe it…he was actually _hearing_ her now. Wasn't her death torment enough?

"Will?" the voice tried again. Soon after, he heard the squeak of wheels and the soft beat of footsteps. A chair scraped across the floor, and then someone was sitting at his side, waiting patiently.

"Abigail?"

Will slowly lowered his hands from his eyes, far too afraid to look over and discover he'd been wrong.

A flood of warmth touched his hand and he looked down, trembling when he saw a small, feminine hand grasping his fingers. "Abigail," he breathed again, lips quivering. "I thought you were…"

"Yeah," she whispered. "So did I."

"And the others?"

Abigail swallowed, the bandage on her throat quivering. "I…I don't wanna talk about it."

Will's heart sank. Watching her adjust her portable IV, he studied her bright eyes and soft features, feeling a tremendous wave of self-loathing overcome him. She was so young and vulnerable…how could he have failed her yet again?

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Abigail tensed, slowly raising her injured eyes to his. They were like blue bruises, bleeding beneath the surface and hiding the true pain lying within. "I'm sorry, too," was all she said.

Clasping her hand more tightly, Will turned his head and shuddered, trying to ignore the tears that coursed down his cheeks. "If I'd have known Hannibal's plans, I never would've gone about this the way that I did."

"Don't," he heard her beg. "Please, _don't."_

Will exhaled. "What happened wasn't your fault."

"I don't wanna talk about it…"

"Hannibal used you to get to me, and I hope you know that I'll never-"

"I _said_ I don't want to talk about it!"

Abigail was instantly on her feet, the movement so fast and abrupt that she began to sway dizzily. Tears streaked her cheeks and she choked on the saline, her face contorting into such a pained look that Will was transported back to the night of their reunion.

"All I wanted was to find you alive," she tearfully whispered. "To know you didn't die for me…to see that you were really ok. I didn't even think you'd be awake, so please don't make me relive everything…not when I already have to see it every time I close my eyes." Wiping the moisture from her face, Abigail shook her head and grabbed her IV. "I never should've come here…I'm sorry, Will."

She turned to leave and Will vaulted upright, instantly regretting it when his stitches screamed their protest. "No, don't go," he sorrowfully pleaded. "Not again…"

Abigail paused, her hand on the doorway as she bowed her head.

"I was so scared that night," Will feebly continued. "When I thought I'd lost you for a second time, I just…nothing seemed to matter anymore. If you died, I died. I knew I couldn't survive that."

Abigail slowly came back into the room, glancing at the floor as she shook her head. "Will, I can't talk about this…"

"I care for you, Abigail. And if you leave now, I just…it'll be too much."

Abigail gawped at him, stunned. All her life, she'd yearned for a male presence who would love her – one who would hold her hand and make all the ugly parts of life disappear, but she never once thought that man could be Will.

"C'mere," Will pleaded.

Abigail waited a beat, then moved over to him with trembling limbs, mindful of her IV as she crawled onto the bed and curled alongside him.

Despite the pain, Will straightened his stance and took her hand in his, now pressing a soft, reverent kiss against her palm. "You'll be alright now," he promised. "He can't hurt us anymore."

To his surprise, Abigail buried her face against his throat and sobbed, her frame shaking as she gripped at his hospital gown. Uncertain, Will wrapped his arms around her shoulders and stroked her hair, rocking her gently as he kissed the top of her head.

It didn't take a professional to realize Abigail was in pain. He knew she viewed herself as a monster – as a creature that no one could ever love. Hell, he often felt the same. Nobody understood their demons the way they understood each other…it was why he always sought her out. Sometimes you could only be loved by your own kind.

Abigail's sobs finally reduced to little hiccups, but she angled her face more strongly into his throat and whimpered.

Will held her closely, nuzzling her as she trembled. Hannibal Lecter had always tried to get him to view her as a daughter, and he now understood why… It would hurt when he lost her, and then it'd hurt even _more_ when he lost her a second time. But the longer he dwelled on it, the more Will knew he could never be her father – not when it's not what Abigail needed, and most _especially_ not when it was Hannibal's nefarious design. Will refused to play into anymore of his mind games.

Tilting her head back, Will wiped Abigail's tears and forced a smile to his lips. "You're all I have now," he softly said.

She sniffled, nodding miserably.

"Did you want to…? I mean… When this is all over, did you want to come stay with me for a while?"

"What good would that do?" she asked. "My being there would just remind us both of what happened… We'd never have any peace of mind."

"You're wrong about that."

"No, I'm not." Abigail's eyes were stern. "No matter what you might think, you _don't_ need me."

"I do," Will sorrowfully said. "I _do_ need you…" Just confessing the words brought a chill of loneliness to his spine.

"Look," Abigail said, "I need some time alone to figure things out. I've spent an entire year torn between you and Hannibal, being told what to do, how to act, and whom to trust, and I'm sick of it. I'm ready to start making my _own_ decisions on my _own_ terms. Do you think you can respect that?"

Will nodded, but there was a knot in his throat. "Of course I can, Abigail…whatever you need."

"Thank you." Now disentangling herself from his arms, Abigail rose and wiped the remainder of her tears from her cheeks. "For what it's worth, I wish I'd chosen you all along. I don't think you ever lied to me."

"I would never," Will agreed, trying to ignore the panic in his chest. "When you leave, will I be allowed to come see you?"

"Not at first," Abigail said. "I need to establish a life for myself, and I don't want anyone's help. Even if I have to live in the streets for a while, I'm ready to do this."

"But…"

"No," she cut in. "This is good for me, Will. Once I finally have a job and a place of my own, I'll send word to you. Then and only then can you come see me."

Will swallowed, smiling despite the throbbing pain in his heart. "Yeah, ok, I…I think I can deal with that." He paused. "Does that mean this is goodbye?"

Abigail's eyes flickered to the floor. "I'm being discharged tomorrow, so yeah, I'd say so."

"Oh…" Awkwardly tensing his fists, Will shook his head and exhaled. "I'm not very good with goodbyes."

"Neither am I, but I can try for the both of us." Abigail stooped over and kissed his cheek, feeling the rough texture of his beard against her lips. "Goodbye, Will."

He swallowed back his tears. "Goodbye, Abigail…" In that moment, he wanted to tell her everything in his heart – that she was beautiful and perfect and never ceased to amaze him, but above all, he wanted to tell her that he loved her. He knew that now. But instead, all he could say was, "I wish you luck, Abigail…you deserve it more than anyone."

Abigail smiled back at him. "Thanks, Will…you, too." And then she was gone, leaving him behind with an emptiness that would never be filled.


End file.
